Innocence Burned(28)

She buried her face in his neck and her body shook harder.

A loud commotion came from outside the door along with muffled gunshots. Houston raised his gun again, prepared to do whatever it took to get his woman out of there.

Axel poked his head in the door. “We gotta go. Everyone’s taken care of, but we think someone may have set off an alarm.”

Houston nodded and followed him from the room and down the hall, now littered with bodies.

“She okay?” Axel questioned.

“No.” He didn’t have to ask her to know. He’d seen it all run across her face in a matter of seconds. They were too late. The damage to her had been done and his actions made it worse. Not that he regretted gutting that asshole for a second. Walking into that room and seeing him on top of Izzy was the second worst thing he’d ever seen in his life. At least this time he was able to make someone pay.

He only hoped the club found a way to make it better for her after he left. His heart squeezed. He didn’t want to leave her.

Even if she found a way to forgive him for what happened in that room, there’d be no forgiveness for what he was about to do.

Tires squealed outside just as they cleared the front door.

Axel threw open the van door. “Get her in.”

Houston lifted her from his chest and placed her in the seat as gently as he could, however, her arms remained firmly locked around his neck.

“Look at me, babe.”

She shook her head, the wet skin of her cheek brushing his jaw.

“Look at me, Isabella.”

Her head jerked up at his use of her full name. “You know who I am don’t you?”

He nodded.

“And you still came for me?” Some of the fear from her eyes slid away as her face softened.

“I did what I had to.” He hardened his jaw and his voice. “Nothing more. Don’t read anything else into it.”

The subtle jerk of her body and release of her hands made his stomach clench. The thought of hurting her now made him angry all over again. But he had to do this or she might cling to something not worth clinging to.

“Axel here is going to take care of you. You can trust him.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Where will you be?”

“Gone.”

Her mouth dropped open. “What do you mean gone?”

Houston stretched his neck and paused before he spoke something that would lead her on.

“It means my job here is done. Now I move on to the next one.”

Her eyes widened the size of quarters and her fingers curled into fists. He half expected her to take a swing at him.

“We’ve got to go now,” Axel said, reminding them both they were not yet out of danger. He started to slide the door closed when her hand grabbed the metal and held it open.

“What kind of asshole rescues me from hell only to dump me with strangers? Where are they taking me?”

“Somewhere safe. That’s all you need to know. Now unless you want us all to die tonight, sit down and shut up, princess.” He was being harsh, but it felt necessary. It didn’t matter that it twisted his gut like a vise to do it. The sooner she forgot about him the better.

“So much for a knight in shining armor,” she hissed.

Houston barked out a vicious laugh. “Not an ounce of armor here babe. Only the asshole who gutted your rapist. Now be a good little girl and quiet down.”

He didn’t care how much of a cliche it sounded like because if looks could kill hers certainly would. She settled in her seat and faced forward apparently done talking. Good. He couldn’t take much more without hauling her out of the van and stealing her away.

Axel began sliding the door closed, but Izzy had one more parting shot.

Without looking at him, she spoke to the seat in front of her. “He was only one of many.”

Houston lunged forward to grab her and the door shut in his face.

Axel grabbed him and tackled him to the ground as the tires spun and peeled away.

“Get off me,” he bellowed.

“Let her go. You know you have to. She’s damaged goods.”

He shoved Axel off him and stood. “You think I give a shit about that? She deserves better than this.”

“Maybe so. But you made a deal and you will live up to your end of it. You want her pining after you the whole time, unable to recover?”

He stared at the back of the van quickly disappearing down the long road. “No.”

“Then let her go. I promise the club will take care of her.”

He turned on Axel. “No one touches her.”

“I’m getting a little tired of your shitty assumptions about the club.”

He grabbed Axel’s shirt and yanked him close. “No one. You got me?”

“Yeah, I got you.”